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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24752341">Dreams Of Routine</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElisaPhoenix/pseuds/ElisaPhoenix'>ElisaPhoenix</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Supreme Family Chaos [111]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Animals, Dreams and Nightmares, Gen, M/M, Other, Sick Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:27:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,028</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24752341</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElisaPhoenix/pseuds/ElisaPhoenix</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony only wishes these dreams weren't usual...and Stephen would rather suffer them than on the kids.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tony Stark/Stephen Strange</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Supreme Family Chaos [111]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1364899</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>172</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dreams Of Routine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dust. </p><p>It was everywhere. Around him, on his hands, and in him with every breath he took.</p><p>It was a nightmare Tony had often and had him waking in the middle of the night and staring up at the ceiling as he got his thundering heart to slow down. When it finally did, that's when he braved looking around the bedroom. Sometimes he didn't have to look to know that Stephen was sleeping beside him because Tony would hear him <em>breathing</em> first. One usually had to strain to hear it but Tony was accustomed to the soft breaths his spouse took while he slept. The next thing he did was look past Stephen's side of the bed and find the crib against the wall with their infant daughter sleeping soundly in it.</p><p>One kid accounted for. Now for the other six. Tony turns toward his nightstand and grabs the tablet laying on the surface and mutters to Friday to bring up the 'Baby Monitors'. Six separate camera views popped up silently and Tony sighs quietly when the other six kids are shown sleeping in their beds. Tony's nightmare of watching Stephen and Peter turn to dust in front of him was constant enough that he needed a better way to check on the kids without getting up and wandering the tower to look in on every single one of them. </p><p>Harley, Peter, Diana...all asleep down the hall. Cassie was safe in her room downstairs, and so were Thomas and William. The kids knew about the cameras and Tony made sure to tell them they were specifically for moments like these. If they were getting dressed or otherwise...occupied, Friday would inform him they were safe but keep the video off. It was an electronic version of Quill's Celestial gaze, but for all the kids. Tony of course included Cassie because he had raised her for those five years and she turned into an honorary kid that he very much wanted safe just as much as his actual kids.</p><p>With another shaky sigh of relief, Tony turns off the tablet and places it back on the nightstand before turning back over and wrapping an arm around Stephen. He pulls the sorcerer close and buries his nose into dark hair, smelling a light trace of…flowers? What the hell was Stephen washing his hair with? Tony wasn't complaining, it smelt nice, but he definitely wasn't expecting flowers.</p><p>"Nightmare?" Stephen mumbles sleepily and Tony grunts in response. "Need to cuddle Athena?"<br/>Tony chuckles. "No. Just you. I don't think she'll be real happy cuddling me anyway."</p><p>Stephen merely chuckles quietly and Tony falls asleep a little while after the sorcerer dozes off. Hearing him breathe was soothing to his nightmare frayed nerves and it was enough to lull him into a thankfully dreamless sleep. When he awoke again, sunlight was streaming through the windows that he cleverly made so that it would dim the otherwise blinding morning sunlight. Tony also woke to Stephen exiting their bathroom fully dressed for the day and walking over to Valerie's crib. The infant was rubbing her eyes as she yawned cutely, waiting patiently for Stephen to retrieve her for their morning routine.</p><p>It still amazed Tony how quiet Valerie was. She hardly cried, and whenever she did, it was for one of two reasons. Either Stephen was off for some Sorcerer Supreme duty or a stranger made her extremely uncomfortable and she wasn't with anyone she trusted. The second very rarely happened. She didn't even cry when she was sick or if she fell and scraped her knee.</p><p>Her not crying when she was sick had it's pros and cons, and right now it was a con, because just as Stephen made it over to her crib, Valerie let out a bark like cough that had Tony sitting up in worry. Worry fills Stephen's eyes as he immediately scoops her up and places a shaky hand against her forehead to check her temperature.</p><p>"Victor, scan for her temperature and any other abnormalities." The sorcerer commands immediately as Tony gets out of bed to join him.<br/>"She's showing symptoms of croup Doctor. I recommend running a hot shower and standing in the bathroom for her cough." The AI responds.<br/>Stephen rolls his eyes. "I know how to treat croup Victor, but thank you anyway."<br/>"<em>Povero topolina</em>." Tony mumbles as he gently brushes Valerie's hair away from her face. "I wonder how she got it."<br/>"Likely the park." Stephen says as Valerie lays her head against his collarbone and coughs again. "William put her in one of the swings. I thought I had made sure she was washed up afterwards."<br/>"She'll be okay. Her mommy is the best doctor in the world." Tony smiles and kisses Stephen's cheek.<br/>"I was a neurosurgeon Tony, not a pediatrician."<br/>"Oh please, you could be a pediatrician. I've seen you studying every available text in child healthcare because we have six kids and you want to be able to take care of them whenever they get sick. You're already listed as their doctor." Tony scoffs and Stephen blushes.<br/>"You know, I still think Peter's teacher thinks I'm a joke."<br/>"He won't go against any of your notes anymore because he knows I'll sue him if he does. Are you staying up here with her?" Tony asks as he walks over to the bedroom door.<br/>"I'll have to until at least her fever breaks or she can give it to the other kids." Stephen says as he walks over to the bed and sits down. "We'll watch a movie and I'll take her into the bathroom if I need to."<br/>"Breakfast in bed it is." The engineer says as he leaves the room and walks down to the kitchen.</p><p>To his surprise, he found Bucky cooking breakfast, and the twins munching on some strawberries at the breakfast counter as they watched.</p><p>"What are you two doing up so early?" Tony asks as he heads straight for the coffee machine behind the soldier.<br/>"Just one of those days." Thomas shrugs. "Where's Mom?"<br/>"Upstairs with the baby. Val is sick." He answers as he sets the coffee up and presses the button to start brewing it.<br/>William frowns. "Should I go help?"<br/>"Nope. The baby has croup and Stephen doesn't want anyone else to get it. If you want to help, you can sanitize everything." Tony answers quickly and William actually nods before getting up.</p><p>Even Thomas followed. William was always happy to help with Val and bonded with her like Cassie had with Diana, so seeing him get up to sanitize Valerie's toys wasn't a surprise. Thomas on the other hand wasn't as close to the girls, but he probably wanted to help in some way too. Tony watched briefly as they grabbed the things they needed and then cleaned every perceivable thing that the baby could have touched while being careful not to touch themselves until they washed their hands. With William's magic and Thomas's speed, it was done within ten minutes and the boys were washed up by the time Tony was pouring coffee into his mug.</p><p>"Want me to put something aside for Mama Bear?" Bucky asks and Tony nods.<br/>"Would you? I did promise him breakfast in bed. Why are you up here anyway?"<br/>"Steve is still on that recovery mission. It got a little too quiet." Bucky says quietly.<br/>"There will be plenty of noise up here soon. Crash on the couch until Capsicle gets home if you want." Tony offers.<br/>"Yeah. Thanks Tony."</p><p>The next couple of days passed that way. Tony kept the kids downstairs, and Stephen stayed upstairs with Valerie until her fever broke. The first night had been the worst. The baby woke up multiple times coughing and Stephen got up more than half the time to take her into the bathroom and start a shower so he could stand in the steam with Valerie to help with her cough. Tony took over after the third time because Stephen actually <em>groaned</em> the fourth time Valerie woke up with a whimper and another barking cough. He was exhausted, and thankfully the baby didn't mind being taken care of by her father.</p><p>The second night, she only woke up a couple of times and Athena stood with both Stephen and Tony dutifully when they cared for her. The wolf, like Levi, had taken it upon herself to be a self appointed nanny much to the parent's amusement. Levi blanketed a sick child, and Athena alerted Stephen if one of the kids fell ill. The sorcerer already had a sixth sense about that kind of thing, but ever since Athena joined the family, not a single kid (or adult) could get away with lying about their health.</p><p>Valerie's fever broke the second day and her cough was nearly gone by the third day when Stephen deemed her well enough to rejoin the family. She was back to her early morning routine with Stephen and Athena, and was eating some cereal puffs in her highchair while Stephen prepared breakfast for not only the wolf but also Flynn. Getting the fox to leave Quill's side long enough to take advantage of the portal to the lake house (for <em>business</em>) had been a chore the first couple of weeks. Athena eventually had to scruff the kit and carry him through to the lake house, teach him what it meant, and then scruff him again to take him back through the portal to the tower for breakfast. Flynn cried and struggled in the wolf's grip the first few days, but when he realized food was part of the deal and that Athena would promptly return him to Quill after breakfast, he stopped fighting.</p><p>Now he just chirped sleepily and hung half asleep when Athena scruffed him for the morning routine. When breakfast was devoured, he was either scruffed or walked back to Scott and Quill's floor. </p><p>"'thena?" Valerie asks as Stephen sets both bowls on the ground for the animals when they returned. The small portal sitting open by the entryway.<br/>"And Flynn." Stephen says as he washes his hands and starts on a proper breakfast for Valerie.</p><p>The baby giggles when Flynn scrambles through the portal to his bowl, practically burying his face in it to eat as Athena came through at a much calmer pace and Stephen closed the portal with a flick of his wrist. She joined Flynn to eat and as soon as they finished, Stephen watched her lead the kit to the door to the stairs and open it with a button Tony had installed for her.</p><p>Athena liked to patrol the tower occasionally when the kids weren't all in one area, and it especially came in handy when Flynn glued himself to Quill and came home with him.</p><p>"Please tell me you have some coffee going." Quill groans the second he steps off the elevator, dressed in his station outfit.<br/>Stephen wrinkles his nose. "You smell like smoke."<br/>"Gee, wonder why." He snarks as Stephen starts the coffee maker.<br/>"Your leech just went back upstairs."<br/>"Eh, he'll find me." The Celestial sighs as he sits at the breakfast counter. "It'll be a nice two minutes not having him attached to my leg."</p><p>Stephen snorted and gave Valerie a bowl of baby cereal and a spoon to feed herself as he started breakfast for everyone else, and true to Quill's estimation, Flynn and Athena came back a couple minutes later. The kit yipped loudly and ran over to Quill, only hesitating briefly when he smelt smoke on the god before jumping up and climbing onto his lap to nuzzle Quill affectionately and obnoxiously.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah. Hey buddy. Missed you too. Lay down." Quill grouses and Flynn immediately curls up in his lap.<br/>"At least he's listening more." Stephen observes as Athena lays at her usual place at the end of the counter. <br/>"He's still got a ways to go."<br/>"He'll get there."<br/>"He'll be a little terror the entire time." Quill laughs. "No doubt afterwards too."<br/>"The pet truly reflects the owner." Stephen smirks.<br/>"<em>Hey!</em>"</p>
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